About Me

My photo
Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Should John Callahan Listen to Joe or Beau?

My, what a difference a few months can make!

That's the point of an NRCC Tory Mazzola news release today. A few months ago, VP Joe Biden was able to schmooze on the phone with Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, helping sweet talk him into running.

But that was then. The pendulum has swung to the right.

Now, our VP is unable to persuade his own son, Beau, to run in Delaware. According to Politico, "When the son of the sitting vice president decides against a bid in a solidly Democratic state the week after a debilitating loss in Massachusetts, it sends a spine-chilling message. . . . And for the vice president, it was, at the least, an embarrassing miscalculation that could have severe repercussions for the administration he serves."

Pointing to Beau, Mazzola asks, "When will John Callahan recognize that the polling has him down by an insurmountable 26 points? And judging by Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts, does he think the administration’s support is going to help him? He should listen to Beau, not Joe."

But as we've seen, a few months is a lifetime in politics. Which way will the pendulum be swinging then?

In politics, most of us are willing to swing both ways.

Blogger's Note: Blogger commenting enabled.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mazzola is really reaching here. Let's look at some facts...

First that 26 point poll is a pipe dream. No one is even gonna look at that poll as it had a +/- 6%.

The reality for Beau was that he was going to face a moderate R in Mike Castle come November. Castle is not a hard core conservative. Delaware is not a red or blue state. It votes for their favorite sons and daughters. Let's remember William Roth was a very conservative republican who was elected overwhelmingly year after year, even then the democrats would run the table in every other seat.

That said Beau is a lock to be re-elected Attorney General. He is young and the At-Large Congressional or one of those Senate Seats will be his someday.

Let's also not forget he beat Ferris Wharton only 53% 47% (no light weight back in 2006). Wharton was a seasoned US Attorney and well respected by state workers, Republicans, and Moderate Dems...

Mazzola is reaching, and I don't think we will know anything in the Dent/Callahan race until sometime on November 3rd or maybe well into the month. That is how close this race is going to be.

Anonymous said...

I think that the Dems current struggle is due to them being seen as "Republican lite," not as interested in helping the people or the middle class, but more interested in big Banks, big Pharma, big Insurance...Obama's recent scolding of the Republican caucus breathed some life into the Dems though. The Dems need to do more of that. What's happening has nothing to do with Republicans, but has to do with disgruntled Dems.

Anonymous said...

It's the economy, stupid. And it sucks. It's gotten worse since Ds took overwhelming control of everything. Unemployment is expected to continue to hover near 10% in November. The party in power will be punished. Early head counts indicate they'll be swamped and may lose the House majority. Callahan is a sacrificial lamb. Does he get to keep the mayor's seat upon losing the Congressional election? They must be offering a safe landing for him. He really hasn't a chance.

Anonymous said...

Callahan actually has a chance of winning if he doesn't say anything stupid and if Jake Town takes away a moderate percentage of Dent supporters.

Anonymous said...

Listening to Beau means that the Republicans want fewer choices for voters. They are trying to convince a candidate to drop out of the race. It shows just how committed to democracy the Republican party is.

The Republican Party and Tea Baggers are only interested in winning to amass power so that they can destroy America.

Anonymous said...

It's the economy, stupid. And it sucks. It's gotten worse since Ds took overwhelming control of everything. Unemployment is expected to continue to hover near 10% in November. The party in power will be punished. Early head counts indicate they'll be swamped and may lose the House majority. Callahan is a sacrificial lamb. Does he get to keep the mayor's seat upon losing the Congressional election? They must be offering a safe landing for him. He really hasn't a chance.

Of course it got worse. It's the worst recession in our lifetimes. Duh. What Obama did do is prevent this country from completely collapsing which was the course under Bush. Things take time to stabilize.

Anonymous said...

He's still blaming the last guy and polls show fewer and fewer are buying it. Perhaps they remember that he was part of the original problem as a senator in the majority party before he was president. It's easy to forget as he rarely showed up to do his job. He and his party took a bad situation and made it exponentially worse by exploiting a crisis in order to further a sweeping and expensive progressive agenda. It's the economy, stupid. The party in power is going to made to pay. It always does.

Donald said...

Voters really do not like when candidates act as if they are owed the seat because of family connections and I think that would have hurt Beau in the long run in a race a against a very popular and long serving man like Mike Castle. I also thing it would have created a lot of awkwardness for the administration and would be Senator Biden. How would it look if Beau voted against the White House.

In a good year Callahan will struggle and if he had aked me I would have suggested he wait for the Presidential year, but he did not ask me

Anonymous said...

"The Republicans and Tea Baggers are only interested in amassing power so they can destroy America."

I think you have the above two groups confused with the Obama Administration.

Got Amnesty?

Anonymous said...

No, it is clear that the GOP and the tea baggers will stop at nothing to destroy democracy from functioning. Some of their own leaders have said so. They want nothing more than to destroy our freedoms and opportunities.

The Battle Cry of Freedom said...

Ultimately it will be Callahan who brings down Callahan

Anonymous said...

And the Obama guys told the Senate today that they'd Mirandize Osama Bin Laden. What's Callahan supposed to do with positions like that? The progressives are tanking the Ds. November is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel for the GOP.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:52...Jake Towne is NOT going to take a "moderate" amount of Dent votes...seriously, Towne is a fool who's best suited as a Chinese speaking lab partner (Thanks Bernie for directing us to Towne's resume')...maybe not even that since it seems he wasn't able to hold down his previous position.

Anonymous said...

Funny how Obama doing to terrorists what the Bush Administration did is so unpopular with the Bush lovers.

You realize you guys are crazy nuts, right?

Anonymous said...

Gee. At work at end of day. Phone rings, caller ID says "U.S. Government". Hmm. CIA? FBI? Homeland Security? No!. What follows next? The dulcimer tones of that hard working Congressman "Charlie" Dent telling me about yet another town meeting he is hosting. Whose phone line was he using to pander for a vote? Second question, who paid for that wonderful public service announcement? Let me guess, when the Republicans controlled the Presidency, the House and the Senate, 8 years just wasn't enough time to undo every evil unpatriotic fiscally irresponsible thing Democrats have done. And that Iraqi War? Not to worry, what's a trillion dollars here or there with VA costs for the next 30 years treating Post traumatic stress disorders. Let me guess, Charlie valiantly told Dick Cheney and his neo-con hunting buddies to stop the war, please but they just wouldn't listen.
We need a strong voice in Washington to stand up for the little man and gollie shucks, ole Charlie will restore us to a gentler simpler time. Think of it. No burdensome government regulation. Ah yes, polluted air, brackish water, no minimum wage, child labor, no social security (the first socialist act), no OSHA, no meat inspectors. Yes the list could go on and on. Unchain our captains of industry. Free them from regulation but leave corporate welfare alone.